Kartli · 2 h · Vegetarian · Baking · For confident cooks
Khabidzgina
In German: Chabisgina (ossetisches Chatschapuri mit Kartoffel und Käse)
For 4 servings · US units
Ossetian cheese and potato bread: thin, piping hot and brushed with butter
Khabidzgina comes from Ossetia and often goes by the name Ossetian khachapuri, sometimes Kartofdzhyn too. Under a thin layer of yeasted dough sits a soft, creamy filling of mashed potato, sulguni and Imeretian cheese that gives way the moment you cut into it. It's just the thing for autumn and winter evenings, when you want something warm and honest straight from the oven.
Ingredients
- 1½ lbwheat flourfor the dough, plus extra for dusting
- ¼ ozYeastfor the dough
- 1 tspsugarfor the dough
- 1 tspsaltfor the dough; extra salt for the potato cooking water
- 1½ cupswaterlukewarm, for the dough
- 2 tbspvegetable oilneutral, for the dough
- 1⅓ lbPotatoesstarchy, boiled and mashed, for the filling
- 12⅓ ozor mozzarella; grated, for the fillingGeorgian brined cheese made from cow's milk and stretched like mozzarella, so it is elastic, layered in fibres, salty and mildly sour.Substitute: The closest match is a mix of low-moisture mozzarella and some crumbled feta, roughly two to one. The mozzarella gives the melt and the stretch, and the feta brings the salt and tang. Mozzarella on its own is too mild and watery, and feta on its own will not melt. Smoked scamorza can stand in for smoked sulguni, though it is a little less salty.Read more
- 10½ ozImeretian cheeseyoung, mildly salted brined cheese, or feta; crumbled or grated, for the filling
- 2¾ ozbutterabout 50 g melted into the filling, the rest for brushing after baking
- ½ tspblack pepperfreshly ground, for the filling
- ½ tspground, for the filling (optional)Blue fenugreek, called utskho suneli in Georgia: dried, ground leaves and seed pods with a mild, hay-like, nutty aroma.Substitute: Dried fenugreek leaves from an Indian grocer come closest but are stronger and more bitter, so use about half the amount; ground fenugreek seed is harsher still and works only very sparingly. Khmeli suneli contains blue fenugreek but also brings coriander, dill and other spices, which changes the character of the dish.Read more
- 2 tbspor milk, only if the filling is too dry (optional)Georgian cultured milk, similar to a thin, distinctly tangy plain yogurt.Substitute: Plain whole-milk yogurt, not strained or Greek-style, loosened with a little milk or kefir, comes fairly close in texture and tang. It tastes somewhat milder and rounder; if the fresh sourness is missing, use a larger share of kefir or buttermilk.Read more
Method
- Knead the yeast doughIn a large bowl, mix the flour, dry yeast, sugar and salt, then add the lukewarm water and vegetable oil and knead everything into a soft, supple dough.
- Let the dough riseCover the dough and leave it somewhere warm for 30 to 60 minutes, until it has visibly risen.
- Cook the potatoesMeanwhile, boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, drain them and let them steam dry for a few minutes so the filling doesn't turn watery.
- Make the cheese fillingMash the potatoes while they're still hot and stir in most of the butter, melted. Mix in the grated sulguni, the crumbled Imeretian cheese and freshly ground black pepper, and season with ground blue fenugreek if you like. If the filling feels too dry, work in a splash of matsoni or milk.
- Fill and seal the dough ballsDivide the dough and the filling into the same number of balls. On a floured surface, press a ball of dough flat, set a ball of filling in the middle, draw the dough up and over it all the way round and pinch the seam firmly shut.
- Roll out into roundsTurn the filled ball seam side down and gently press or roll it out into a thin round, letting the filling spread right to the edges. Cut a small steam hole in the centre or prick the round with a fork.
- Bake the roundsBake the rounds on a hot stone or baking sheet in a well-preheated oven until golden brown, or cook them in a hot pan until golden on both sides.
- Butter, slice and serveBrush the finished rounds with the remaining butter straight away, cut them into pieces and serve hot.
Tips and variations
If you don't feel like firing up the oven, just cook the rounds in a hot pan on both sides. For a softer dough, swap the water and oil for milk, yogurt, egg and sour cream, and brush the rounds with beaten egg before baking. You can also boil the potatoes in their skins and only peel them afterwards before grating or mashing, and a pinch of blue fenugreek gives the filling a gentle, savoury edge. Whatever you do, serve khabidzgina straight from the oven or pan, while the butter is still soaking in and the cheese is soft.
Allergens
Contains: Cereals containing gluten, Milk (including lactose)
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
